Two Left Feet
by optimus-pam
Summary: Everlark "Dirty Dancing" fic in which Peeta carries a watermelon. One-shot for now, may be developed into a M-rated multi-chapter fic later on. For swishywillow. Written for PiP Day 7: Jonquil/Desire.


A/N: For swishywillow. So sorry it took me an embarrassingly long time to get this fic together. Thank you for pre-reading and not letting me forget a promise. It's one-shot for now, but I hope to complete the "Dirty Dancing" story arc at some point.

* * *

**Prologue**

Peeta's family visited Undersee's Resort every summer since he was five.

Each summer, his father, mother and two older brothers packed into their car and left their prosperous chain of bakeries behind for several weeks.

Peeta loved it. He enjoyed the fresh air, the arts and crafts, the games, but most of all he loved to watch the dancers.

Each year, the dark-haired man and fair-haired woman danced the final show. To little Peeta, clumsy on feet that he was still growing into, they were the most magnificent thing he had ever seen. They spun 'round and 'round in circles until Peeta was dizzy just from watching them. The part he liked best was their smiles. His mother and father didn't look at each other the way dancers at Undersee's did. His mother and father didn't hold each other close when they danced, their movements were stilted and awkward and his mother always had an angry look on her face when his father took her out on the dance floor.

But the dancing couple? They had the brightest smiles on their faces Peeta had ever seen. You could see how much they loved each with each step they took, how they were perfectly synchronized with each other and with the song.

Oh yes, Peeta liked the dancing best. Their first summer there be begged his mama to let him take the dancing lessons and — pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation — she relented to her youngest son's request.

He remembers his first dance lesson with perfect clarity.

He was clumsy at the Cha-Cha steps they tried to teach the group, but the fair-haired lady smiled warmly at him each time he stumbled and told him not to worry, that'd he'd get it eventually.

At the end of the lesson, the dark-haired man led a little girl around the room, her dark braid swinging in time with their steps.

Peeta had never seen anyone so graceful or beautiful in his whole life.

His eyes chased her around the room as she twirled in her father's arms. Her smile was like sunshine itself and Peeta swore in that moment the whole world stopped.

He was a goner.

When Mr. Mellark retrieved him at the end of the dance lessons he pointed out the girl with the braid to his son.

"See that girl, Peeta? I wanted to marry her mother. But she got swept off her feet before I ever had a chance."

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**Chapter 1**

It's summer of 1963 and Mrs. Mellark swears it's their last summer at Undersee's. Next year she wants to go somewhere more posh, like Europe. Especially since she won't have the burden of her three sons. After all, Peeta is 18. He just graduated from high school and he'll be off to Yale in the fall.

It's the first time he's ever gone to Undersee's without one of his brothers. But his eldest brother just got engaged and is busy working at his future father-in-law's shipping business and his middle brother decided to take summer classes so that he could graduate early. He supposes he would do anything too, if it meant escaping his mother.

That night at dinner, Peeta's mother makes sure that he is seated next to Madge, Mr. Undersee's daughter.

She's about his age, with fair skin, blonde hair and blue eyes. She's just returned from finishing school in Europe and is everything his mother could hope for.

"So Margaret, what are your plans now that you're back from Europe?" His mother asks. And while it seems a perfectly polite question, Peeta can see his mother like a shark in the water, sniffing for blood.

"Well, Mrs. Mellark, I plan to attend Mount Holyoke in the fall," she says, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"What? Margaret darling, you can't be serious. You just got back from school, surely your father doesn't think it's necessary," she says, shooting a questioning glance at Mr. Undersee.

"Well, Mrs. Mellark, the Institut Alpin Videmanette was a wonderful experience, but I wanted to continue my education and father agreed. It's that simple."

"But a pretty girl like you, don't you want to settle down? Start a family?"

"Agatha, please," Peeta's father says quietly through clenched teeth.

"I can do all those things after I finish my education, Mrs. Mellark. But it's so kind of you to be concerned for my best interests," Madge says with a tight smile.

"Enough of this talk," Mr. Undersee says dismissively. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go make the introductions."

Mr. Undersee walks to the center of the room and makes a short speech welcoming everyone to the 74th summer season at Undersees's. He introduces the events coordinator, Effie Trinket. She's got platinum-blonde curls, wears precariously high heels and lipstick a few shades too bright for Mrs. Mellark's liking, but Peeta was always fond of the hapless woman, she always tried so hard to make each day at Undersee's "a big, big day."

"Hello ladies and gentlemen," she chirps. "Welcome, welcome to Undersee's. We've got so many things planned for you this summer, it's sure to be our best year yet. And now I'd like to introduce our entertainment for the evening: Gale Hawthorne and Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire."

Peeta's breath catches as a young couple walks on to the dance floor. He hasn't seen the dark-haired girl in several years, but here she is back with a vengeance and more beautiful than he remembered.

She wears a dress the color of smoke, a gauzy gray ensemble that matches the color of her eyes. Her companion is a tall, strong young man with dark hair, gray eyes and olive-toned skin much like hers.

They're a striking couple and they dance expertly, but Peeta can't help but notice that it's just not quite the same as when her parents danced. A spark is missing.

Peeta can't take his eyes off of her, even as he stumbles through a couple dances with Madge, who smiles politely when he steps on her toes.

Katniss dances with several of the gentlemen patrons and he clenches his fist when old Mr. Snow lets his hands wander a little further south than they should. But Katniss deftly spins out of his embrace and when she returns to frame, she places his hands back where they belong.

It's several days before he sees her again. His mother has him busier than ever, trying to arrange a match with Madge.

They play croquet and bridge Tuesday, followed by horseshoes and charades Wednesday. But come Thursday evening, Peeta finds himself blissfully free. Madge is under the weather, and takes dinner in her room. As soon as the meal is finished, Mrs. Mellark grabs her husband by the elbow and takes her leave.

"No point in sitting around with this lot if it's not going to get us anywhere," she says, her eyes scanning the room distastefully.

Her eyes narrow when she looks at Peeta, "If you want to stay, stay, but don't get into any trouble and don't make a fool of yourself or me. Do I make myself clear Peeta Mellark?"

He gulps. "Yes ma'am."

Peeta mills around the main dining room for a bit, hoping for a glimpse of Katniss, but she's nowhere to be seen. Tonight's entertainment is a pair of dancers named Finnick Odair and Johanna Mason. Finnick may be the most dashing man Peeta has ever seen. The women practically fall over their feet waiting in line to dance with him. He even sees one woman stick a handful of bills and her room key in his pocket,

Johanna looks a bit surly and rough around the edges. She wears her hair shorter than most girls and a dress of forest green silk dotted with silver leaves. She dances well, but also seems like she leads the men around the floor, not the other way around.

He says hello to Delly Cartwright, an old friend he met a few summers back.

She introduces him to her fiancé, Thom. A tall, gangly, dark-haired man who worked his way up to manager at one of her father's shoe stores. They tell the story about how her father brought him home for dinner to celebrate the big promotion and they'd been inseparable ever since he set eyes on sweet Delly — with her cheery personality and warm smile.

Peeta's happy for his old friend. And happier still it's one less well-to-do girl his mother can thrust his way.

He takes a walk, enjoying the balmy summer night. He aimlessly wanders the Undersee property until something catches his eye.

It's a petite girl, her blonde hair in braided pigtails. He chuckles at the sight of her trying to carry three watermelons but being the gentleman he is, he jogs over to her just before one of the precariously balanced fruits smashes to the ground.

"Here, I got you. Let me help," he says, taking the two larger melons off her hands.

She smiles brightly at him. "Thank you so much!"

"Where you headed?"

"Staff quarters," she says, her eyes glancing up a large flight of wooden steps.

"Well lead the way."

"I'm not really supposed to take you there. No guests allowed. House rules," she says, biting her lip.

"Well I'm not about to let your break your neck trying to carry three watermelons up those stairs."

"Fine, but don't tell anyone, OK?"

"My lips are sealed," Peeta replies with a winning smile.

He follows the girl up the stairs. He sees a series of small red cabins until they reach a building that looks like some kind of abandoned warehouse, but from the music coming inside he can only guess it's their destination.

She opens the door for him and leads him to a table in the back where they set the watermelons down.

"Thanks," she says, offering him a sweet smile.

"What is this place?"

"The Hob. It's been around as long as I can remember."

Peeta looks around, realizing that along the way someone must have converted an old warehouse into some kind of dancehall.

It's dark, smoky and nothing like the coldly polished ballroom he's been dining in the past few nights, but Peeta much prefers it.

A roar goes through the crowd when a new group enters the room.

Peeta's heart jumps into his throat when he realizes one of them is her he recognizes Gale, Finnick and immediately join the throng of couples on the floor, dancing in swift, sensuous, perfectly coordinated movements.

"I'm Primrose. That's my sister, Katniss Everdeen. She got me the job here."

Peeta watches Katniss and Gale dance, somehow becoming the center of gravity for the surrounding couples.

"They look great together," he remarks.

"Yeah, you'd think they were a couple, wouldn't ya?" Prim says conversationally.

"Well aren't they?"

"Naw, not since we were kids."

The song ends and Katniss' eyes search the room for Prim. They widen when she sees Peeta and then narrow into a deathly glare as she makes her way across the room.

"What's he doing here?" She spits out.

"He came with me," Prim replies cheerily.

"I carried a watermelon," Peeta replies, feeling stupid the moment the words leave his mouth.

She looks him over suspiciously before uncapping a beer from a cooler.

The crowd lets out another loud shout when Otis Redding's "Love Man" begins to play.

Katniss' hips way and she taps her foot to the beat, her gaze raking Peeta over from top to bottom. With her free hand she motions to the dance floor, "Why aren't you dancing? Too good for the likes of us?" She snorts, taking a swig of her beer.

Peetas eyes widen, "No, no no! That's not it at all."

"Well then?" She challenges.

"I can't dance," he mumbles.

She narrows her silver eyes and Peeta thinks that even though she's slightly terrifying, he's never seen anyone more beautiful. "What did you just say?"

He clears his throat and speaks more forcefully, to be heard over the loud music, "I can't dance."

She stares at him for a moment before rolling her eyes. She sets her beer on the table and grabs him by the arm, leading him on to the dance floor.

She takes him to a less crowded section of the floor and turns to face him. She places her hands on his shoulders and forces him to bend at the knees. Next thing he knows, her hands are on his hips, swaying them in loose circles. She closes the distance between their bodies and Peeta's blood nearly boils as their hips collide in a rough rhythm.

He can feel her body heat on his thigh wedged sightly between her parted legs. His breath catches at the close contact. His body thrums with energy and it feels as if a bolt of lightning is passing between their bodies with each touch. Her dusky skin glistens with a light layer of sweat, a drop trails down her throat over her collarbone and Peeta fights the impulse to catch it with his tongue. The palms resting lightly on her rounded hips are damp and clammy and Peeta wonders if she can sense the direction of his thoughts; if she can sense that his heart is about to beat out of his chest in time with the music.

All too soon the song ends and Katniss spins out of his arms.

Her orange dress swirls about her legs and Peeta feels like his skin is burning. After all, he was just dancing with the Girl on Fire.


End file.
